Foot for stand or base



June 2, 1959 G. R. THOEMING 2,888,775

FOOT FOR STAND OR BASE Filed June 8, 1956 LIZ/E 22127:?- v eazye 7E?T/zoeming FOOT FOR STAND R BASE George R. Thoeming, Collierville, Tenn.,assignor to Wonder Products Company, Collierville, Tenn., a corporationof Tennessee Application June 8, 1956, Serial No. 590,198

3 Claims. (Cl. 45-137) The present invention relates to a foot or bumperdevice for use with frames or bases as the floor contactin member.

While it will be understood that the foot device of the instantinvention is of general utility and may be used with any number ofvarious bases, it will be described herein in conjunction with aspring-suspended hobby horse, such as disclosed in the Baltz Re. 23,849,in which the base or frame therefor is formed of a tubular metallicconstruction. One of the problems that has arisen in connection withsuch a tubular metallic base is that of providing the same with floorcontacting members that will prevent crawling or creeping of the hobbyhorse when in use by a child. Previously, a section of rubber tubing hasbeen used for the purpose, secured in place by an adhesive or by meansof a screw or rivet extending through both the tubing and frame.However, due to the use of rings at the top of the uprights of the base,such sections of tubing could not readily be slipped onto the tubularframe over these rings when replacement became necessary. Further, if ascrew or rivet were utilized there was a possibility of the section ofrubber tubing being torn during use.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided an improvedfoot or bumper which is replaceable, locks in place on the frame baseand improves the stability of the toy. Such feet or bumpers arepreferably formed of a substantially solid block portion with upstandingarcuate arms to resiliently grip the frame and with upstanding bulbousfingers to interlock in a recess or aperture in the frame. A preferredmaterial for the feet or bumpers is polyethylene, although othersemi-rigid, resilient plastics or elastomers may be satisfactorilyutilized.

It is, therefore, an important object of this invention to provide animproved foot to support and stabilize an article that is subjected tovibration and a tendency to move, or creep.

It is a further important object of this invention to provide a new andimproved foot or bumper for a tubular base having apertures or recessestherein at the places thereon for engagement with the floor or othersupporting surface, the foot or bumper being in the form of a block witha pair of upstanding intergral frame gripping arm s and an upstandinginterlocking finger to extend into the aperture or recess in the frameand become interlocked therewith.

Numerous other objects, features and advantages of the present inventionwill become apparent from the following detailed description of theinvention and from the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferredform of the invention, and in which:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a frame base stand for aspring-suspended hobby horse, having feet or bumpers thereonincorporating the principles of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged elevational view of a section of the base of theframe with a foot or bumper thereon; and

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line III-IIIof Figure 2.

Figure 1 illustrates an improved form of stand 10 for supporting bymeans of springs 11 a hobby horse 12, shown in dotted outline form.While only one-half of the frame is shown, the frame 10 has fourupstanding portions 1414 for-med integrally with the intermediate baseportions 15-15. Said base portions are secured together in such a mannerthat the upstanding portions 1414 form uprights for the horse 12, withpoints of attachment for the springs 11 at the corners of a rectangle.The top of each of the uprights 14 is provided with rings 16 forsecuring the springs 11 thereto. The springs 11 hook into the rings 16and also into screw eyes at the ends of the bars 17 which extendtransversely through the horse 12. With this arrangement, the horse 12is supported by the four springs 11 in such manner that the child ridingon the saddle portion 18 of the horse may ride it through a variety ofmovements. During the course of such riding, the frame 10 is subjectedto relatively high forces tending to move the entire assembly in any ofa variety of directions along the floor or other supporting surface,indicated generally at 19.

In order to prevent this undesirable tendency of the assembly to creep,anticreeping feet members 20-20 are secured onto the frame base stand atthe regions of the frame base stand which would normally contact thefioor or supporting surface 19. These feet or bumpers 20 serve also toprevent marking or marring the floor 19, in addition to being operativeas anticreep devices by supporting the remainder of the frame andassembly out of contact with the floor 19. 7

One of the feet 20, all of which are identical, is shown in enlargedviews and in cooperative arrangement and assembly with the frame baseportion 15 in Figures 2 and 3. The foot 20 therein shown is anembodiment of this invention which is particularly cooperative with atubular frame for supporting the same.

While feet or bumpers embodying the principles of this invention may beformed from any number of desired materials, it is preferred that thematerials be resilient, yet semirigid. It is also preferred that thematerials be of a semirigid resilient elastomer or resilient plastic; apreferred embodiment of the invention being formed of injection moldedpolyethylene.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, the foot 20is formed with four distinct portions thereon including a base block 21,a pair of arms 22 and 23 respectively and a finger 24. The base block 21is a relatively thick and wide portion for the foot 20, all of the partsof the foot 20 being integrally formed. The base block portion 21 is theportion of the foot upon which the weight of the entire package orassembly rests.

The arms 22 and 23 extend upwardly from the side faces 25 and 26 of thebase block 21 and are coextensive in length with the base block 21. Inthe embodiment shown in the drawings for use in conjunction with atubular frame portion 15, the arms 22 and 23 are arcuately formed and ofsufficient thickness to be semirigid, yet resilient. By arcuatelyforming the arms 22 and 23 and correspondingly arcuately recessing theupper surface of the base block, as at 27, there is formed an innercylindrical surface on the feet or bumpers 20 of substantially the samediameter as the outer surface 28 of the frame portion 15 whereby thefeet or bumpers 20 will snugly conform and adhere to the frame. Byproviding the arms 22 and 23 with sufficient height so that thecylindrical inner surface of the feet or bumpers 20 are of greater aredimension than a semicircle, the resiliency of the arms and theircooperative arrangement with the base Patented June 2, 1959- blockportion 21 will provide a positive grip on the tube frame portion tosecurely hold the same onto the tube frame portion 15.

To lock the foot or bumper in position on the frame therealong, theframe portion 15 is apertured at 29 on the underside thereof, as bypunching or drilling etc. and any burr about the aperture 29 isbent-inwardly. The aperture 29 receives the finger 24 which thenpositively axially places the foot or bumper 20 on the frame portion 15.The cooperation of the finger with the aperture 29, and the arms 22 and23 with the outer surface 28 of the frame portion 15 then positivelyfixes and secures the foot or bumper onto the frame. To further lock andsecure the foot or bumper onto the frame portion '15, the finger 24 isformed with a more or less bulblike configuration so that the upper endthereof is larger than the aperture 29. Since the material from whichthe foot or bumper 20 is formed is resilient, the interlocking finger 24may be deformed during its passage through the aperture 29 whereupon itwill resume its original configuration and interlock with the tubeportion 15.

While the cooperating four portions of the feet or bumpers 20 willsecurely lock the same onto the frame and provide feet effective toproperly support the frame, it will be readily apparent that the feet orbumpers 20 are readily replaceable since by the application ofappropriate forces, the arms 22 and 23 and the finger 24 may 'beappropriately deformed for removal of the feet or bumpers from the framewhen, for any reason, it is desired or necessary to replace the same.

From the forgoing it will be readily observed that numerous variationsand modifications of structures and devices may be made and eflfectedwithout departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel conceptsand principles of this invention. 1, therefore, intend to cover all suchmodifications and variations as may fall within the true spirit andscope of the novel concepts and principles of this invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A support device comprising a tubular frame member having a hollowhorizontal tubular section, means defining a downwardly facing aperturethrough the Wall of the tubular section, a foot support including ablock ,of a semi-rigid resilient elastomer material, a pair of armsintegral with said block, said arms and block having arcuate innersurfaces resiliently gripping said tubular section, and an upstandingfinger connected to said block between said arms and extendinginto saidaperture in said frame member to become interlocked therewith, saidfinger extending into contact with the means defining said aperture sothat the foot support will not shift axially along said tubular section,said finger having a bulb-like shape with an upper end larger than theaperture and a smaller lower portion to lock the finger in said apertureand hold the foot support on said frame member.

2. A replaceable foot support for an apertured tubular frame subjectedto vibration and forceful movement, said foot support comprising asemi-rigid resilient member having a substantially solid base portionand a plurality of upstanding portions integral therewith havinginwardly facing surfaces for grippingly engaging the tubular frame, anda resilient bulb-like upstanding finger between said upstanding portionsforcibly insertable into said aperture for interlocking engagement withthe frame to anchor said member against displacement therefrom, saidbulb-like finger having aidistal end with tapered side surfaces forforcible insertion into the aperture and having an inner end connectedto the inner surface of the base portion between said upstandingportions with the lateral sides of the inner end tapered to face saidbase portion to engagingly 'face the sides of the aperture and retainsaid footsupport on the frame and prevent lateral shifting and rotationof the foot with respect to the frame.

3. A support device comprising a cylindrically shaped horizontal tubehaving an axially elongated aperture in the lower surface and adapted tobear a load on the tube, a foot support including a supporting baseportion with a substantially flat lower surface, a pair of upstandingopposed side portions having facing surfaces lying in a cylindricalplane and meeting the tube in surface engagement, and abulb-like axiallyelongated finger portion projecting upwardly intermediate said sideportions and having a tapered upper end for forcible insertion into theaperture in the tube and having a lower end attached to said baseportion and provided with downwardly facing tapered side surfacesengaging the sides of said aperture to continuously urge the footsupport to locked engagement with the tube, said finger extending toboth ends of the aperture to prevent relative lateral rotation and axialshifting of the foot support relative to the tube.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS730,675 Macklin June 9, 1903 1,567,593 Hirsch Dec. 29, 1925 2,014,290Pohlman Sept. 10, 1935 2,453,991 Kaemmerling Nov. 16, 1948 2,690,212Jakeway Sept. 28, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 23,589 Great Britain Oct. 18,1913

